OO and HO Differences Where and Why?


M

Meathead

New Member
Hey,

So me and my brother are building a trainset as you know and we where going to go with HO but now moving to 00 since Hornby is only 00 scale and he loves hornby, which I am too, too the question

I know the scale and size for ho trains and OO trains but what about scenery does that change at all? I would assume the buildings would be bigger if im correct? I am a specialist in designing and if things dont look right I will take it down or delete it.
 
If you know the scale you know the answer to your question.

!!!Spoiler Alert!!!

In round numbers HO is 1:87, OO is 1:76
 
Yes, OO scale is larger, 1/76 rather than 1/87. If you wonder how the track can be the same, it's because the OO track gauge is undersized for the rest of the equipment. But for the models to look right (except for the track, which you can't change unless you go to Proto4 or EM) you certainly need to make or buy them in 1/76 scale, including scenery and buildings.
 
History lesson time. "O" guage was a nominal measurement of 1-1/4"(32mm approx)adopted by Hornby and others, back in the dark ages when scale really wasn't considered all that important, and "OO" (which came about somewhere around the 1930's) was 1/2 "O" scale, i.e. 5/8"(16.5mm approx). So strictly it's incorrect to refer to either as a scale, a size or dimension, yes, cause both were just "near enough" or as we down under might say "she'll be right, mate"
 
tootnkumin said:
History lesson time. "O" guage was a nominal measurement of 1-1/4"(32mm approx)adopted by Hornby and others, back in the dark ages when scale really wasn't considered all that important, and "OO" (which came about somewhere around the 1930's) was 1/2 "O" scale, i.e. 5/8"(16.5mm approx). So strictly it's incorrect to refer to either as a scale, a size or dimension, yes, cause both were just "near enough" or as we down under might say "she'll be right, mate"
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Actually, O is also a scale. O gauge is the lionel stuff which is 3-rail equipment and tight curves. O scale is the same scale as O gauge, but only uses two rails, and does not have ridiculously tight curves that require rolling stock to be shortened or locomotives to have swinging pilots.
 
O scale and O gauge are different. Lionel started mass producing O gauge trains in the late 20s to now. But these trains were not scale. They are now referred to as postwar scale trains. O scale, which Lionel produces some, as well as MTH and Atlas, is a bit bigger.
 
On a related question, if one has, say, a Hornby OO Eurostar set, and a Piko ICE-3 HO set, and if these systems are both driven by 12 V DC, will they work with each others' power controllers?
 
Back in the dawn of time gauges were numbered and 0 guage (zero) was 1.5 inches and the models scaled at 1/4" to the foot. That created gauge that was too wide (5 ft gauge). So modelers didn't want to change the track and mechanisms so they started modeling at a scale of 7mm/ft to put the gauge and scale of the models in sync. Later scale models were made to 1/2 that size, so the scale was 3.5 mm/ft and that became HO.

0 (zero) or as is later became know as O (oh) gauge was 1.5". Half of that is 3/4" gauge (00, double naught) which is more or less a 1:76 scale.

Both HO and OO started at the same place and are 1/2 of their parent scales, but took slightly divergent paths to get to today.
 
I've used some of the cardstock OO buildings on my HO layout and no one has been said 'Gee that looks too big'. In architecture they say 'The measure is the man', meaning everything has to be sized to accommodate a human being. Many buildings differ in height and many models are not truly scale. Get some OO figures and see if they look correct with any building you may consider. Even the MSI layout here in Chicago which has 40 skyscrapers on it scaled them done to 60% of what they should be in HO and it looks fantastic. So don't get too hung up on the difference, after all there is a bit of art involved in model railroading too.
 
Yea I will have a look thanks, I just gotta get over being a perfectionist Guess being a architectural Designer I was just making sure that the door of a building is not bigger then another door or it just looks too weird, if you get what I mean
 
Hey meathead I studied architecture too! I know where you're coming from. Just remember no one is ever really going to use the door if the effect works it's good.
 
Meathead said:
So how big is the difference to a HO and OO scale building? 1 story building averaged hight
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The difference is calculated as 87/76, that being the ratio of the two scales in question. The answer, representing a quotient (that is, division), is 1.145, or said in words, OO is 0.145 larger than HO. Expressed as a percentage, OO is about 14% larger.
 
Meathead: Don't take this wrong -

But you seem to ask some questions that are somewhat vague since your sign-on doesn't even indicate what continent you are on. It would be a good help to know what city you live in, and the nature of prototype railroads you find interesting, to narrow responses down to something useful to you.

Many of these questions could be answered for you by getting a few recent copies of Model Railroad magazine - assuming you live in N. America. Hornby is something I associate with Britain and European style trains - that have no compatibility in the N. American scene.
 
Charles - It appears 'Meathead' (I'm sorry that just sounds like I'm insulting someone!) from his intro posts is from 'Down-under' so I'm guessing model RR down there may be a mixed bag. There are some other Aussies on here that maybe able to be better guides
than the rest of us.
 
I always 2nd guess myself why I ask so many questions :) Sorry if I sound as if I dont look like I have done my research. You should see me in the class room I basically answer my own questions while asking the teachers :p, But by doing that I know that I am 100% correct on what I am trying to do.
 
Meathead said:
So how big is the difference to a HO and OO scale building? 1 story building averaged hight
Click to expand...

Oh come on now - let's show a little initiative here. ;)

We've established that HO is 1:87 and OO is 1:76.

You can do the math based on that and have your answer in the blink of an eye or two.
 
Pazu said:
On a related question, if one has, say, a Hornby OO Eurostar set, and a Piko ICE-3 HO set, and if these systems are both driven by 12 V DC, will they work with each others' power controllers?
Click to expand...


They will work just fine.
 
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